Izzo 1

Julio Izzo

Holly Batty

English 102

7 November 2018

A Lens through Sex, Gender & Stereotypes with M. Butterfly &

Left Hand of Darkness

Queer Theory is the combined area of gay and lesbian studies concerning all modes of

variance from the normative model of biological sex, gender identity, and sexual desires. In the

texts, M. Butterfly by Henry David Hwang and Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin, there

are many similarities and differences with each other and with these readings we will see how each

author treated the issues of gender, sexuality and race. We’ll see whether their works subvert or

promote hierarchical binary oppositions and what these texts say about post-colonial theory,

gender roles, and stereotypes. This essay will show how some arguments can be made by the

opposition. For example, some may look at M. Butterfly just being a case where Song strictly

played the role of a spy to gain information and nothing more, and in Left Hand of Darkness, where

Ai’s journey was specifically mission only and learning the ways of the Gethenians to ultimately

come together. But above all, we will go over M. Butterfly’s story line and how post-colonial

Theory, gender and stereotypes come into play, followed by the Left Hand of Darkness and its

gender and sex roles, to then compare gender, ethnic stereotypes and sex roles that evidently

connect and relate to each other.

 Izzo 2

First, regarding M. Butterfly, we focus on post-colonial Theory, gender and ethnic

stereotypes. the word “gender", which is the mode of being male or female" has evolved over time

as means to define the orientation of one’s personal identity" rather than to classify one’s biological

distinctions. Moreover, ethnic stereotypes are a system of beliefs about typical characteristics of

members of a given ethnic group or nationality, also including their status, society and cultural

norms. Hwang examines and reverses by rewriting the Butterfly myth of Puccini's opera. Referring

to current feminist and post-colonial criticism, it demonstrates how gender and cultural identities

are discussed in interaction and are thus always performative.

Furthermore, such performance is only effective in cooperation with an audience.

Performance and perception are ultimately two different sides. Choosing an Asian transgender for

the protagonist of the play, Hwang unmasks preconceived notions of man and woman, as well as

Occident and Orient. “He mentions the very foundations of Western consciousness and identity by

rearranging its binary structure. Yet, after having generated some gender and cultural trouble, he

ties together all the loose ends neatly for a perfect role reversal (Ilka Saal. American Studies.

Engendering Manhood (1998)”. The binary structure stays complete after all. Hwang's portrayal

of sexuality, playing down the homosexual desire of his two protagonists, he forgoes the play's

potential to queer and collapse Western binaries.

The playwright uses the figure of Post-Colonial theory to lay down the construction and

performativity of gender and culture. In the play, Song explains to Gallimard about the Post-

Colonial ways these notions can be interpreted from an Occident or an Oriental, “It’s one of your

favorite fantasies, isn't it? The submissive Oriental women and the cruel white man.” This also

shows how the oriental in M. Butterfly see’s the Orient man as someone that can dig their way

into someone’s heart and hurt in with no remorse, no worry. Additionally, the encounter between
 Izzo 3

Occident and Orient has generally been cast by Western insight as a vindictive plot: The strong

Caucasian man meets, sees, and subdues the fragile, gentle Asian woman. The most shocking

deception of the play is that Song can convince Gallimard that he is a woman for over twenty years

while they are engaged in a sexual affair. Song accomplishes this by taking advantage of

Gallimard’s stereotype of Oriental women as submissive and shy, especially when compared to

Western women. For example, in reference to the opera Madame Butterfly, he says, “In real life,

women who put their total worth at less than sixty-six cents are quite hard to find (Hwang. Ch.1

pg. 13)”. With this quote, Gallimard must accept the fact that Song never completely undresses for

him because he thinks that Chinese girls are traditionally made to be of such manner.

With the expansion of the Western empire, something like this has been deeply rooted in

our consciousness and culture. It is probably most clearly expressed in Giacomo Puccini’s opera

Madame Butterfly, “Hwang exhibits that such colonial assumptions go hand in hand with

normative heterosexuality (Ilka Saal. American Studies. Engendering Manhood (1998)”. The play,

M. Butterfly handles the groundwork of Western identity by questioning and troubling its

dependence on binary oppositions. Yet the playwright does not manage to do without these binary

aversions. Therefore, he cannot fully conquer the colonial burden of the Western canon. Through

this play, you see the connection from Song transform into a well-suited man, in court testifying.

This is where some will come to argue that it has deliberately been a straight forward mission to

be a spy, get information and continue with his life and hold no connection intact. But moving on,

Gallimard and Song are revealed together in Act 3 Scene 2, when Gallimard laughs at himself for

wasting 20 years to be fooled, Song continues to want Gallimard’s love and affection, “It’s the

same skin you worshiped for years, touch it...I am your Butterfly” she later concludes. It wasn’t

said that either still had feelings for one another, but how could you not when someone has been a
 Izzo 4

part of your life for 20 years. It falls under the fact that whether your gay, straight, lesbian, trans,

there is still a connection with anyone you meet and engage with, even if it was just a job you were

doing to gain advantage over another country.

Towards the end of M. Butterfly, I was curiously questioning Gallimard’s sexuality, what

he is aware of regarding his sexuality and ultimately his relationship with Song. Conclusively, the

very end of the play returns us to something else, a transformation and freedom of the butterfly

that lies within as he releases himself. The play hints to wonder who and what we fall in love with.

It’s “The ultimate subversion of Hwang’s: Power and survival tests, as it has from the beginning,

with the “other.” The perceived-to-be passive is far from that; the traditional victim most definitely

isn’t passive (Tim Teeman. The Daily Beast. 2017)”. Which overall states that you can’t just

assume “Well, things in life are inevitable, this goes with that, and that doesn’t go there” but instead

what stays true is that death is the inevitable price of what seems like an impossible love, so do

what you feel is right and go after what you want, the only thing inevitable is that we will one day

move on from all of this.

Though many themes arise in Ursula Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness, gender and

sex roles are two of obvious recurring ones. To start, the author immediately discusses the sexuality

and obscure nature of gender on the planet Gethen, or Winter to best paint a picture where the

story takes place. Gender issues emerge in the fantasy on multiple occasions. From conflict within

the protagonist, Genly Ai, being the “alien” in this scenario, tables have turned on this planet and

Ai is the one that does not fit in. So, he is an outcast but lucky these planets are more welcoming

than we are sed to. And then also issues regarding political affairs to "kemmering" or there, “on

the prowl” time of the month.

 Izzo 5

When Mr. Ai, as he is referred to in the story, is introduced, you begin to discover that he

is truly masculine like one would imagine from body structure to personality traits.

Ursula describes the conflict that Ai’s understanding the Gethenian way. The fact that they are

gender neutral for all but a few days a month puzzles him, and this is an issue he discusses in

several scenario’s in the book. In chapter 1 page 12, he is sitting with Estraven thinking about the

fact that he is having difficulty seeing him as he is and then seeing him as an actual man or woman.

He discusses how Estraven’s efforts and performance at the table had been very feminine, yet he

did not see him as a woman.

The author integrates this theme into her book to try to show the reader that maybe one day

a place will exist in which being a man or woman does not predetermine the life that one will lead.

She also shows the reader that a story which involves sex in whatever form it may have, can also

exist without sex, while also making a notion to not live by socially implied conclusions. “I believe

Le Guin’s work although is not sexuality-centered novel plays a major role in seeing how human

beings can be divided regarding their sex, gender and sexuality. Also, I want to emphasize that she

gives a gender choice and not force it, which I see it as a feminist thought. Le Guin teaches

feminists ideas through the gender tension created by a driven desire to free all men and women

from traditional methodology of treating and constructing the concept of gender, and minoritizing

and universalizing view of it (Sedgwick, Kosofsky. Axiomatic. 1990).”

Ursula Le Guin uses her book to show the reader that a place could exist free of set sexual

"norms" and roles for each person; that social and political affairs can be separated from personal

lives, even to the basics of gender. The reader is instructed of this right from the introduction. This

is not a hidden meaning or theme. Le Guin wanted her readers to think of this while reading her

book. I believe she succeeds. The book deals with many issues that are as much not about sex as
 Izzo 6

they are about sex. This is a way for the author to make a statement, that gender and sex are not

always of main interest in a story such as this. Le Guin looks to drive your mind to believe dualism

and if it could be effective/ineffective. When imagining what a world without male and female

duality would be like, it comes to several interesting conclusions. “There is no division of humanity

into strong and weak halves, protective/protected, dominant/submissive, owner/chattel,

active/passive.” Because of this, the Gethenian culture is one that is not preoccupied with ideas of

femininity and masculinity, and so certain things are not taboo for them.

Throughout the book there are no children to be found, only heard of. The reader is told

that children are sent away when they are small but that does not mean that they have no affiliation

with their parents, even after they have reached adulthood. This kept crossing my mind and I

thought maybe it deals with the gender issue as well. Le Guin may have entirely taken the children

out of the story because it would have made it very difficult to assign parental roles to the

characters. If someone sired a child, they would have to act as the "father", but would they change

when they were around the children? Gender comes up throughout the entire story of Left Hand of

Darkness.

Moreover, because of their sexual cycles, the people of Gethan are then able to focus on

other, more important issues for most of the time - like politics and the goings on of their world.

And yet, gender and sex roles are a part of this. as well. After all, during the book, King Argaven

gets pregnant and it seems that even the people in the story find it odd to a point, while Ai finds it

funnier to a different degree. Because he cannot see a man becoming pregnant.

The others just think he is too old, which may be why the king loses the baby just after its birth.
 Izzo 7

Political affairs on Gethen seem very "masculine", cold and unforgiving and impersonal.

Then on a personal level the same characters seem feminine, warm and caring. Not that

‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ only carry those specific characteristics, these just happened to be them

in the book. When Ai, for example, comes to Orgoreyn and stays with Shusgis in his home. Shusgis

seems to me, more feminine in that he made Ai’s room very warm, literally thus showing a

nurturing side to him.

In addition, some may say Ai’s mission to go the Gethan and get the two planets to join

forces for intelligence and go about his way, but through his journey with Estraven, they learn to

adapt to each other and become more comfortable with one another. Ai even contemplates even

heading back to his original home to stay in Karhide. It couldn’t be anything other than love even

more so that Ai was the “Alien” and stuck out to everyone else, and not to mention being

unbearably cold. Seems like connection could only warm and trigger such decisions.

So, through both texts you see how sex, gender roles and stereotype come into play just as

a reader, and as you dig deeper and dive into each books’ telling. The play asks who is using who,

who really has power, and—most importantly—what does each partner desire in each other, what

do they need from each other; and what element of escape does each signify for the other. You see

how each show a strong love and connection for each of the main characters without quite

understanding who has the edge, who is interested in who and what will it lead to.

These ways show us of what we already conclude to think as opposed to understanding the other

side.
 Izzo 8

Works Cited

Introduction to Comparative Queer Literary Studies. Stereotypes, Deception & Orientalism in M.

Butterfly. 2013

https://introqueerlit.wordpress.com/2013/03/03/stereotypes-deception-and-orientalism-in-m-
butterfly/

Ilka Saal. American Studies. Engendering Manhoo. Published by: Universitätsverlag WINTER
Gmbh. 1998.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/41157422?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Tim Teeman. The Daily Beast. 2017.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/sex-sexuality-and-spying-the-subtle-genius-of-m-butterfly-on-
broadway

Sedgwick, Eve Kosofsky. “Axiomatic.” Introduction. Epistemology of the Closet. Berkeley:

University of California, 1990.

https://americanfuturesiup.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/understanding-gender-and-sexuality-in-le-

guins-the-left-hand-of-darkness/

M. Butterfly. Henry David Hwang. Publisher: Plume. 1988. Print

Left Hand of Darkness text. Ursula Le Guin. Publisher: Ace Books. 1969. Print